Water seal for shaft bearings



April 20,1948. E. H. ANDERSON WATER SEAL FOR SHAFT -BEARINGS Filed July28, 1945 INVENTOR f b/w'Q/m Hflnderaaf).

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 20, 1948 WATER SEAL FOR SHAFT BEARINGS Ephraim H.Anderson, Homewood, Pa, asslgnor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation,East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 28,1945, Serial No. 607,643

3 Claims. 1

My invention relates to a mechanical water-seal for the shaft-extensionend of a ball-bearing assembly, or other shaft-bearing, which will meetthe most rigid tests in the specifications for watertight motors. Thesespecifications require a test by playing a stream of water from a hosewith a one-inch nozzle, delivering not less than 65 gallons per minute,at a pressure equivalent to a head of 30 feet at the nozzle, from adistance of feet, for a period of 1% minutes, from each of fourdirections. This test is to be made with the motor stopped and thenrepeatedwith the motor running, making a total of 10 minutes. Theserigid water-tight specifications require that there shall be no leakageof water into the bearing-enclosure, under these conditions.

Heretofore these water-tight specifications have been met by a rotatingwater-seal which was carried by the shaft-extension, the rotating sealhaving a cylindrical extension which projected for a. considerable axialdistance, over an annular shoulder which was provided on the bracket-hubor bearing-housing. This water-seal of the prior art thus required aconsiderable axial distance, which made it diflicult for themotor-manufacturer to meet the standard limiting dimensions for theoverall length of the motors, as set by I. E. M. A.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved type of water-sealwhich will better meet ;he requirements of the above-stated problem.

An illustrative form of embodiment of 'my inrention is shown in theaccompanying drawing, he single figure of which is a, longitudinal seceional view of the shaft-extension end of a motor embodying my invention.

The motor or other machine to which my inention is applied has astationary bracket I, and L rotatable shaft 2 which extends through saidracket. The bracket I has a bracket-hub 3, vhich carries ashaft-supporting bearing 4 which s illustrated as a ball-bearing.

My improved water-seal comprises a fiinger 5 vhich is carried by theshaft 2, Just outside of the learing 4. The fiinger 5 is in the form ofa sleeve which has a radially outwardly extending fiingerlange 6 whichis adjacent to, but spaced from, the nd i of the fiinger which isnearest the bearing, aid sleeve and said fiinger-flange havingcylinrical outer peripheries 8 and 9, respectively.

The water-seal is completed by an annular cap I which is removablycarried by the bracket- .ub 3, being held in place by fiat-head screwsI2, nd being sealed, at its attachment-points I3, rith red lead or anygood waterproof cement.

' The cylindrical bore I401 said groove is spaced from the cylindricalperiphery 9 of the fiingerfiange 6, while the radial wall I! of thegroove is spaced from the outer side of the fiinger-flange 6. The innerperiphery I5 of the cap II is a cylindrical bore having a closeclearance I8 from the outer periphery of the fiinger-sleeve 5, thisclearance being preferably about .005 inch on the radius. The clearancebetween the outside periphery 9 of the fiinger-flange 6 and th bore I4of the groove in the cap I I may be of the order of /64 inch on theradius.

To provide a water-seal, the cap II has oneor more relatively widegrooves 2| and '22 which terminate in its inner periphery I5, thegrooves 2| and 22 being cutback into the cap II. The water-sealiscompleted by means of a drain-pipe 23 which is screwed into the lowerside of the cap II, and sealed water-tight thereto, the lower end of thepipe 23 being open. The upper end of the pipe 23 is in drainingcommunication with the relatively wide grooves 2| and 22 of the cap II,as indicated at 24.

My invention also preferably utilizes a lubricant-loss-inhibiting means,which is disposed between the bearing 4 and the fiinger-flange 6, whenthe bearing 4 is in the form of a grease-lubricated ball-bearing, asillustrated. This lubricant-loss inhibiting means preferably takes theform of an inwardly projecting hub-flange 25, which is illustrated as adisk 25 which is secured to the bracket-hub 3 and which has acylindrical bore 26 which is closely spaced from the cylindricalperiphery 8 of the fiinger-sleeve 5. The outer side of the hub-flange ordisk 25 is spaced from the inner side of the fiinger-flange 6, toprovide a cavity 21 which is normally at least partially filled with thesame grease which fills the grease-chamber 28 of the bearing.

Any suitable materials of construction may be utilized for the variousparts. In a preferred form of construction, I make the fiinger 5 ofbrass or bronze. and the cap II of steel or malleable iron. I am notlimited, however, to these particular materials,

In operation, the relatively wide water-sealing grooves 2| and 22 arenot filled with grease, but are filled with air, the grease beingpartially confined by the disk 25, so that it does not encroach furtheroutwardly from the bearing than the previously mentioned grease-pocket21 between the disk 25 and the fiinger-flange 5. Any water which entersthe water-sealing grooves 2| and 12, through the annular clearance llbetween the fiinger 5 and the cap II, is drained of! by the pipe 23, andthe radially extending shape or the fiinger-flange 8 prevents water fromrunnin along the flinger 5 into the grease-chamber .28 oi the bearing.Tests have shown that the water does not penetrate further inwardly thanthe outer side 38 or the flinger-flange 8. at any time. At the sametime, my improved water-seal requires less axial space, at the end 0!the motor, than any other previously known water-seal for meeting thepreviouslytindicated rigid specifications. thus making it easier for themotor-designer to keep within the prescribed limits for the overallaxial length of the motor.

I claim as my invention:

1. An. improved water-seal tor a machine having a stationary bracket anda rotatable shait extending through said bracket. said bracket having abracket-hub, and a shalt-supporting bearinghousing carried by saidbracket-hub, said improved water-seal comprising a flinger carried bythe shaft just outside or said bearing-housing,

'said flinger comprising a sleeve having a radially outwardly extendingilinger-flange adjacent to, but spaced irom, its inner end, said sleeveand said flinger-flange having cylindrical outer peripheries, an annularcap removably carried by said bracket-hub, said cap having a cylindricalgroove extending back from the inner periphery oi the cap at the innerend oi the cap, the cylindrical bore 0! said groove being spaced fromthe cylindrical periphery of the iiinger-iiange, and

the radial wall or the groove being spaced from the outer side of theflinger flange, the inner periphery 0! said cap being a cylindrical borehavin a close clearance from the outer periphery of the iiinger-sleeve.said cap having one or more relatively wide grooves terminating in itsinner periphery, and a' drain-pipe secured to the lower side of said capin draining communication to said relatively wide groove or grooves.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, in combination withlubricant-loss-inhibiting means disposed between the bearlng-housing andthe flinger-flange.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, characterized by saidbearing-housing being greaseiubricated, and said bracket-hub having aninwardly projecting hub-flange having a cylindrical bore spaced from thecylindrical periphery of said ilinger-sleeve, the outer side of saidhub-flange and the inner side of said flinger-flange being spaced toprovide a normally at least partially filled grease-pocket.

EPHRAIM H. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile 0!this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,919,248 Murphy July 25, 19312,003,000 Kelpe May 28, 1935 2,135,230 Sanders Oct. 11, 193i

